Air-gun.



G. E. BECKMAN.

AIR GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1o, 1909.

Patented 'June 21, 19110;.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2..

G. E. HECKMAN.

AIR GUN. .APPLICATION FILED .TUNE l0, 1909.

SSHBETS-SHEBT 3.

UNITED STATES FATENT FFIUE.

GEORGE E. BECKMAN, OF BRICE, TEXAS.

AIR-GUN.

Application led June 10, 1909.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. HEGKMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brice, in the county of Hall, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Guns; and I do hereby declare the following to be ya full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to air guns and has special reference to an air gun of the magazine type.

One object of the invention is to improve the general construction of air guns of this description.

A second obj ect of the invention is to improve the mechanism used in compressing the spring pressed plunger of air guns of this type.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in general of an air gun provided with an improved form of mechanism for compressing the plunger.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and Figure 1 is a side elevation of an air gun constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section show ing the spring mechanism in charged or loaded position in full lines and in discharged position in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view just in front of the trigger looking toward the butt of the gun. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the parts in position during the charging or compression of the spring on the plunger. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the magazine arrangement. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail View of the plunger and spring.

The numeral 10 indicates the stock of a gun and this stock is formed in the usual manner common to gun stocks. This stock is provided with a recess portion 11 to contain the trigger mechanism and the stock has further attached thereto a barrel 12 whereon is mounted a sight 13 and this barrel is screwed into the stock so that Specication of Letters Patent.

Fatented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 501,294.

the same may be detached therefrom. Screwed into the forward end of this barrel is an extension barrel 14 and this extension barrel contains a perforated diaphragm 15. Within the barrel 14 is a tube 16 which is held in position by means of a diaphragm 17 located in the rear of the barrel and the diaphragm 18 forming a closure for the front of said barrel. This tube is provided with an opening near the rear end thereof as indicated at 19 and forms the discharging tube for the gun. Above the discharging tube is located a magazine tube 20 provided with an opening 21 registering with the opening 19 and an opening 22 constituting the charging opening and this opening registers with an opening 23 formed in the barrel 14 and normally closed by means of a screw plug 24.

Below the barrel 12 is secured a cylinder 25 wherein is held a spring 26 and the forward end of this cylinder is provided with a tension screw 27 arranged to bear against the forward end of the springV and this tension screw is provided with a knurled head so that the tension on the spring may be readily adjusted.

Within the recess 11 is pivoted a trigger 28 which projects below the stock 10 in the ordinary manner and this trigger 28 is provided with a spring 29 for the purpose of normally holding the trigger in engaging position. Slidable in the barrel 12 is a plunger 30 provided with a head 31 which closely fits the barrel and has suitable packing 32 to render the same -air tight. The end of this plunger extends within the recess 11 .and is provided with a slot 33 wherein is mounted a roller 34. This plunger is further provided with a shouldered portion 35 adapted to catch over the trigger and has a rearwardly extending end 36 which forms a guide to keep the plunger in proper alinement with the barrel 12. This plunger is further provided with a compression spring 37 one end of which bears against the head of the plunger while the other end thereof bears against a shoulder 33 formed in the stock 10 forward of the recess 11. At 39 is a lever which is provided with a handle portion 40 normally resting below the small of the stock and this lever has a reduced end 41 which extends up in the slot of the plunger and bears against the roller mounted therein. This lever is further provided with a slot 42 wherein is pivoted a rod 43 pivoted to a plunger 44 which bears against the end of the spring 26. rlhis rod is so arranged that the spring 26 normally presses the handle portion of the lever against the inside of the small of the stock.`

It will be noted that the operating lever and the plunger pivoted thereto are so arranged that when the operating lever is in the position for discharging the pivot of the plunger rod lies below the pivot of the lever while in the charging position the positions of these pivots are reversed. The

' spring in the supplemental barrel thus has the double function of holding the operating lever in discharging position and of assisting in forcing back the discharging spring.

-In the operation of the invention when it is desired to charge the gun the handle of the lever is moved downward from the small of the stock and the reduced end causes the plunger to move backward against the force Vof the spring until the shouldered portion of the plunger engages over the trigger. The handle of the lever is then reversed and the spring 26 causes this handle to resume its normal position beneath the small of the stock. Meanwhile the shot has passed by gravity down from the magazine tube into the firing tube through the registering' openings 19 and 2l. then the trigger is pulled the plunger moves forward under the influ- `ence of the discharging spring and violently ejects the air from the barrel 12 with the result that the shot is propelled out of the discharging tube at a high rate of speed.

There has thus been provided a simple and efficient device of the character described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of this invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein-shown and described, butit is wished to include all such as properly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

l. In an air gun, a stock provided with a recess in the forward part thereof, a trigger pivoted in and extending below said recess, a barrel attached to the stock and communicating with said recess, a plunger iitted within the barrel and movable longitudinally therein, a stem on said plunger provided with a slotted portion, a roller mounted in the slotted portion, a discharging spring surrounding the forward portion of the stem and normally urging said plunger forward,

a shoulder on said stem adapted to be engaged by the trigger when the plunger is retracted and the discharging spring compressed, a charging lever pivoted in the recess and provided with a reduced end eX- tending into the slotted portion of the stem to bear against the roller, an operating handle on said lever normally held beneath the stock, a trigger spring, a supplementary barrel beneath the first mentioned barrel, a spring in said supplementary barrel, a tension screw at the forward end of said barrel against which said spring bears, and a plunger in said barrel bearing against said spring and provided with a stem pivoted to the charging lever, the pivot point of the stem shifting above and below the pivot point of the lever according as said lever is moved to charging or discharging positions.

2. In an air gun, a stock provided with a recess in the forward part thereof, a trigger, a barrel attached to the stock and co1nmunieating with the recess, a plunger in said bar* rel, a stem on the plunger and extending within the recess, a discharging spring to actuate said plunger, means on the stem engageable by the trigger when the plunger is retracted, a pivoted charging lever operatively connected to the stem and provided with an operating handle, a supplementary 90 barrel beneath the first mentioned barrel, a spring in said supplementary barrel, a tension screw at the forward end of said barrel against which said spring bears, and a plunger in said barrel bearing against the spring and provided with a stem pivoted to the charging lever, the pivot point of the stem shifting above and below the pivot point of the lever according as said lever is moved to charging or discharging positions.

3. In an air gun, a discharging plunger, a trigger arranged to releasably hold said plunger in charged position, a barrel wherein said plunger moves, a pivoted charging lever operatively connected to said plunger, a second barrel beneath the first, a spring held therein, means to vary the tension of said spring, a plunger forced rearwardly by the spring, and a stem on said plunger pivoted to the charging lever, the 1'10 pivot point of the stem shifting above and below the pivot point of the lever according as said lever is moved to charging or discharging positions.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. HECKMAN. Witnesses:

W. L. CULBERHoUsE, R. F. VIEDMAN. 

